News, national, washington, international, western news, all other news, politics, news

Whalers, beware -- the Ady Gil is hardly your typical environmental activist vessel.

WASHINGTON - During their tour of the U.S. Capitol, four Navajo Code Talkers were approached by tourists who wanted to shake their hands or simply say thank you.

When the group walked into the Rotunda, a tour guide led visitors in applause for the "Windtalkers," a reference to the 2002 Nicolas Cage movie based on the Code Talkers' World War II service.

WASHINGTON - Anti-abortion Democrats have reignited the national abortion wars with their victory on an amendment to House health-care legislation that would prevent women from obtaining abortions through government-sponsored insurance or any plan that receives government subsidies.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - In the latest dramatic boost to its African expansion, China is pledging $10 billion in preferential loans to Africa, along with 100 clean-energy projects and lower customs duties on up to 95 percent of African exports.

SAN FRANCISCO - For Indian beadworkers who craft intricate necklaces and earrings, Haitian metalworkers who recycle oil drums into sculptures, and Guatemalan weavers who make rainbow-hued tapestries, the economic downturn that has choked off consumer spending could mean a devastating plunge back into poverty.

Priya Haji is determined to stop that from happening.

The souvenirs that Jeff Ernst and his shipmates brought home after more than a month at sea aren't exactly the typical tourist stuff.

One brought home a discarded toilet seat, while Ernst settled on a few trashed buoys and life rings. And while they aren't the usual trinkets, the items speak volumes as to why Ernst was sailing around the Pacific Ocean this fall:

A new study says people living near the San Jacinto Fault can breathe a little sigh of relief.

Shimon Wdowinski, a University of Miami associate research professor of geophysics, says the way the earth shifts along the San Jacinto Fault keeps significant pressure from building up in most places, leaving it less likely to have a major rupture.

ELDORADO, Texas - The jury in the trial of polygamist sect member Raymond Merril Jessop found him guilty of sexual assault of a child Thursday evening after deliberating fewer than three hours.

WASHINGTON - Federal law-enforcement and national-security authorities are on alert for counterfeit doses of H1N1 vaccine and anti-viral medications that they expect to surface in the United States, particularly as shortages of both continue to grow.

In the online dating business, where new sites close as quickly as they open and only a handful have mastered the art of matchmaking, a new generation of services is courting the billion-dollar industry by leveraging all that personal information on social networks.